Clipboard data recorder

ABSTRACT

A printing machine with a separable portable tray and a roller platen. The tray has a clip to hold a form set by one edge and allow the other edge to extend without restraint. The tray serves as a common reference plane for a separable printing plate and variable data wheels both carried by the tray.

United States Patent lnventor Erwin F. C. Schulze Novelty, Ohio Appl.No. 790,785

Filed Jan. 13, 1969 Patented Sept. 28, 1971 Assignee AddressographMultigraph Corporation Cleveland, Ohio CUPBOARD DATA RECORDER 1 Claim, 2Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 101/269 B4lf 3/04 Field of Search 101/269, 274, 250, 407, 45

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,232,230 2/ 1966 Sheldon 101/2693,083,641 4/1963 Childset et al. 101/269 3,188,949 6/1965 Hill 101/2693,236,177 2/1966 Perry et al. 101/269 3,274,931 9/1966 Patterson 101/2693,358,596 12/1967 Davis 101/269 3,405,634 10/1968 Maul 101/45 3,446,1445/1969 Frampton et al. 101/269 3,447,458 6/1969 Hu 101/269 3,485,16612/1969 Wright et a1 101/269 X Primary Examiner-William B. PennAtt0rneysRussell L. Root and Ray S. Pyle ABSTRACT: A printing machinewith a separable portable tray and a roller platen. The tray has a clipto hold a form set by one edge and allow the other edge to extendwithout restraint. The tray serves as a common reference plane for aseparable printing plate and variable data wheels both carried by thetray.

CLIPBOARD DATA RECORDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the early use ofprinting recorders, the printed documents were human read and analyzed.Impact or pressure was sufficient to produce a copy legible enough forhuman scan. As purchasing by credit cards increased, and as the use ofsuch record printing spread to other phases of business, it becamenecessary because of high volume demands, to scan the printed records bymachine readers. Multiple copies also became necessary. Roller platenpressure has become recognized as the preferred manner of applying therequired printing pressure to produce machine readable copy.

It was then found that the inherently better results by rollerimprinting was often nullified whenever multiple-leaf form pads are usedfor multiple copies, because of a tendency for the leaf, and others to alesser degree, tending to follow after the roller, causing a distortionof the printing.

Prior to this invention, the accepted method of holding a form, or pad,was to establish guides, as shown for example, in US. Pat. No.3,236,177. For general use, in human reading and few leaves, such aretainer is satisfactory.

A second facet of consideration is involved whenever separable trays areused for assembly of printing plates and form sets apart from theimpression machine. Such approach is advocated for use in situationswhere several persons can make use of one machine. The tray makespossible the assembly of a printing member and a form set apart from themachine, but introduces a problem of manufacturing tolerances.

The space between the top of the printing characters on av printingmember and the platen must be less than the combined thickness of asheet which receives the printed impression and the pressure-release inksheet or ribbon. This space is critical. It has been discovered thatexcessive variation in printing quality between areas printed by theplate and areas printed by handset dater wheels and similar devices isdue to lack of a common reference. Machines which have a fixed bed' 40to hold the plates and dater wheels can be adjusted into a common planeand thereafter will remain in proper relationship.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is aperspective view of a roller platen machine, and a separable field boardtray for transporting printing impression members and forms.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the field board.

FIG. 4 is a section as viewed along line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a section as viewed along line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The illustrated embodiment ofthe invention, preferred in this instance because of its combination ofat least two novel features, is one of a series of printing machines ofthe type adapted to take impressions from replaceable printing platemembers, and employing a separable portable tray. The machine isindicated generally by the reference character in FIG. 1. A printingplate 11, recognizable as a portable embossed device such as commonlycarried by patrons of business establishments, and referred to as acredit card, is illustrated as the source of the date to be imprintedupon a suitable form. A roller platen 12, shown only in FIG. 2, is thedevice used to actually make the impression from the printing plate 1 1.

According to this invention, a portable tray 14, sometimes referred toin the trade as a field board, has an upper surface 15 for supportingvarious elements during the printing operation. The tray 14 is shownseparated from the combination machine in the FIGS. 3 through 5.

In this embodiment of the tray 14, an indentation I6 is provided toaccept the printing plate 11. The indentation makes possible theinsertion and removal of the plate member 11 without auxiliary fasteningdevices. A station plate I7 is used to identify the location at whichthe printing machine is located, or provide similar semipermanentinformation for every impression, and therefore is attached on thesurface 15 in at least a semipermanent manner. Date wheels 18, whichconsists of a series of individual wheels with characters on theperiphery thereof, are handsetable to provide a date for thetransaction. Sometimes such wheels provide count or other information.

According to this invention, a clip 20 is provided on the edge of thetray 14 for holding a paper form. The normal form is a plurality of thinpaper elements separated by sheets of carbon paper. Normally there areseveral such sheets in a form set. In order not to have an excessivethickness which will cause a reduction of clarity in the imprinted form,the paper is made as thin and light weight as practical. Because of thisthin nature, and because the carbon paper has a tendency to act as alubricant, these paper sheets, and particularly the top sheet, have atendency to slide relative to one another. When the form set is placedon the printing plate 11 and rolled by the platen 12, the necessaryexact registration is lost by such slippage. Therefore, the paper clip20 is provided to grasp the edge of a form set, and the clip is placedon the side of the tray in the area where the tray first encounters theplaten.

In this instance, the tray is designed to pass from the righthand sideof the machine, under the roller platen 12, and out to the left side.Therefore the left side of the tray in FIG. 3 is the lead edge. Hence,by placing the clip 20 on the left side, it is thereby placed in thearea of the tray adjacent the first platen position to contact the trayduring the printing action. The paper clamp serves to fasten a documentto the tray in a position to overlie the printing member 11 held by-theindentation 16 with the form extending from the clamp 20 from left toright which is a direction along the path of platen travel. The platenmay be said to reach a second platen position after it has traversed thelength of the portable tray 14.

Although the illustration and description is with respect to a fixedroller platen 12, it will be observed that the description of relativeencounter of platen and tray is such that a movable platen could be usedwith respect to a stationary tray.

Referring to FIG. 4, the clip 20 will be seen to be mounted by a pivot21 and to extend to handle edge 22. An edge area 23 of the tray istapered downwardly toward the clip area in order that the clip may restupon the edge 23 with the clip top at a level which is no higher thanthe normal operating height of the printing plate and form set. A spring24 carried under the edge 23, and projecting to the handle 21, urges theclip 20 against the edge 23.

The illustrated embodiment of the machine 10 for use of the portabletray 14, is built upon a base 27. There are three rollers 28 built intoand carried by the base 27. See FIGS. 1 and 2. A drivebelt 30 tracksaround the three rollers. A drive gear train 31, deriving power from amotor 32, is conventionally applied to the rollers 28 to drive the belt30.

In FIG. 2 there are illustrated two opposed tracks 35. The tray 14 has alower surface 36 which slides over the top surface of the tracks 35.Depending from the lower surface 36 are two oppositely spaced guides 38which interlock with the tracks 35 and provide guiding stability for thetray as it moves over the surface of tracks 35.

In a fixed bed data printing machine, the card printing plate 1 1 takesits reference plane from the fixed bed with respect to the platen. Inthe illustrated embodiment of the invention, the printing plate 11 takesits reference from the upper surface 15 of the tray 14, and in turn thatupper surface 15 takes its reference from the upper surface of the track35. The space between the roller 12 and the upper surface of track 35,therefore, becomes a critical clearance in this type of machine whereinthe portable tray is removable from the machine.

it has been discovered that in order to produce accuracy in aseparabletray situation it is desirable, if not necessary, to carry the datewheels 18 on the tray 14 rather than as a fixed part of the machine 10.Refer to FIG. 5. Here is shown a sling 41 to support the date wheels 18.Each of the several wheels 18 has a plurality of characters 42 aroundthe periphery thereof. The printing plate 11 carries embossed characters44. In the FIG. it is shown that by placing the date wheels on the tray14, the characters 42 and 44 are accurately aligned into one plane underall circumstances. The problem of machine tolerances in manufacturingare substantially reduced with respect to proper alignment of theprinting surfaces into a plane. Wear of any surface becomes much less acause of variance in the pressure spacing.

Alsodepending from the bottom surface 36 of the tray 14 is a rack 47having teeth 48. The teeth 48 are positioned to interlock with the driveteeth on the belt 30 for drive of the tray along the tracks 35.

Finally, standard 50 and crossarm 52 are provided to hold the rollerplaten 12 in its desired location above the path of travel for the tray14. In the form illustrated, a degree of resiliency is provided in thesupport of platen roller 12, and known truss structures may be added ifrigidity is desired.

Whereas the present invention has been shown and described herein inwhat is conceived to be the best mode contemplated, it is recognizedthat departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the inventionwhich is, therefore, not to be limited to the details disclosed herein,but is to be afforded the full scope of the invention as hereinafterclaimed.

I claim:

1. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portableprinting plates, a machine comprising:

a base;

a roller platen;

a portable tray defining a printing bed, said bed having a surface toreceive a printing plate, said bed removably seated on the base; I

said tray having at least one edge border area, a paper form holder cliplocated on said tray in said border area, said clip including pivotmeans, said pivot means and all portions of said clip lyingsubstantially at or below the level of said bed surface which supportssaid printing plates;

means for driving said platen and tray relative to one another in aprintout path so that a part of the tray which carries the clipcompletely underlies the relative path traversed by the platen and traywith the clip positioned in the path, said clip and platen being sopositioned as to pass relative to one another;

said tray affording a generally rectangular planar printing bed adaptedto support a printing plate for having an imprint made therefrom;

guide means for locating a document on a tray in fixed position to beheld by said clip;

means on the tray for temporarily securing the printing plate thereto;

whereby any document that is fastened by the clip to the edge area ofthe tray will thereby be prevented from billowing when a printingoperation is taking place.

1. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portableprinting plates, a machine comprising: a base; a roller platen; aportable tray defining a printing bed, said bed having a surface toreceive a printing plate, said bed removably seated on the base; saidtray having at least one edge border area, a paper form holder cliplocated on said tray in said border area, said clip including pivotmeans, said pivot means and all portions of said clip lyingsubstantially at or below the level of said bed surface which supportssaid printing plates; means for driving said platen and tray relative toone another in a printout path so that a part of thE tray which carriesthe clip completely underlies the relative path traversed by the platenand tray with the clip positioned in the path, said clip and platenbeing so positioned as to pass relative to one another; said trayaffording a generally rectangular planar printing bed adapted to supporta printing plate for having an imprint made therefrom; guide means forlocating a document on a tray in fixed position to be held by said clip;means on the tray for temporarily securing the printing plate thereto;whereby any document that is fastened by the clip to the edge area ofthe tray will thereby be prevented from billowing when a printingoperation is taking place.